A lil about the place :

Mount Kalsubai is the highest peak (1,646 meters) of the Sahyadri range. The peak point served as a tower to watch the enemies during the Maratha rule. It is an nonpareil place to enjoy trekking.
A small temple can be seen at the top. The temple has an old well in its backyard. According to legend the water level of the well never drops below 3 feet.
From the top of Mount Kalsubai, one can get great view of the Bhandardara lake and Wison dam. Immediately after the rainy season, the place is covered with variety of flowers. During the months October to November people neighbouring region organize a religious fair at this place.
Baari village is the base to climb Kalsubai.

Our Experience here :

The trekking path is simple but it has a constant gradient. The soil is coarse and there is constant danger of slipping. The top of the mountain seems elusive, as you make it to what seems to be highest point, a distance away we see another climb. There are at least four such steps untill the actual top is in sight. On the total climb we encountered 3 ladders. These ladders are placed in places where there is a steep rock to be climbed. The ladders are unfortunately not in a very great shape and one has to be careful while climbing the ladders. On the left is a sheer drop into the valley, while on the right is the mountain. At one place, where we needed to go round the rock, an iron rope is tied to the rock for support. All these ladders and rope are safe, without any danger, as long as you are careful and do not do any mischief. The first ladder is about 50 – 60 ft., the second ladder is about 30 – 40 long. Both these ladders are more inclined, whereas the last ladder is vertical and is about 70 – 80 ft in height.
Kalsubai temple sits on a huge vertical rock in the shape of a drum, the third ladder is placed to climb this rock. At the base of this rock is a well. The water in this well is really sweet, and its surprising to find a well at this height.
On top of the rock is a small temple of Kalsubai, it is hardly 10 ft by 10 ft in size. The top of the rock is hardly 90 – 100 ft in diameter.
The way down is by no means simple of the continuous descend, the slippery soil and the ladders contribute to the difficulty.
Though we had plans to spend the night camping on the mountain top,The heavy rains and crazy winds totally prevented my friends and me for doing soo.With the heavy rains,it took us about 4 hours to climb up and about 2 and a half hours for our decent.The thing that saddened us the most is that we were unable to click much snaps due to the heavy rains Carrying the slr,tripod,Tent and sleeping bags was a total waste.
An idle time to visit this place is just after the rains and am definitely gonna be going there again Because this place is soo sooo BEAutiful

How to get there :

Bhandardara By Bus
Maharastra state road transport bus services are available up to the down hill. Most of the major cities in the state including Mumbai are connected to Bhandardara by bus.

Bhandardara By Train
Nearest Railway station is Igatpuri, which is nearly 35 km away from Bhandardara. Taxis will charge about Rs 500 and state bus charge is about Rs 25.

Mahuli Fort At 2815 ft., this is a sought after trekking destination. I first visited this place last year with my friends for a trek and then again for some Waterfall rappelling. The trek is an intermediate one,totally depends on what route is taken to reach the summit. This is one place I’m sure I’m gonna be visiting every year during the monsoons and  This is one fort in Maharashtra every trek lover has to visit atleast once.

It is the highest point in the Thane district. The forest surrounding Mahuli has been declared as a sanctuary. Once Shahaji Raje, father of Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, had this fortress under his belt.

Getting there

The nearest railway station to Mahuli is Asangaon. One can catch either Asangaon or Kasara Local from Mumbai CST, which could also be caught at Kalyan Junction. 4 km walk from Asangaon station will take you to the base temple in 1-1/2 hours. 3 hours trek will take you to the summit.
Asangaon on Mumbai-Nashik highway (91) km from Mumbai. 5 km inside on to the left is the Mahuli village.

History

The creator of this fort is unknown. In 1485 this place came under rule Nijamshahi dynasty. When Shahaji Raje became the secretary of Nijamshahi, Mughals of Delhi tried to end Nijamshahi. In 1635-36, Shahaji Raje transferred himself with Jijabai and Shivaji to Mahuli. When Khan Jaman attacked the fort, Shahaji asked Portuguese for help, who refused and Shahaji surrendered.

Shivaji took this fort from Mughals on 8 Jan 1658. In 1661 it was given back and was won again by Shivaji. In treaty of Purandar, in 1665, Marathas lost these forts again. In Feb 1670, Shivaji Maharaj tried to conquer Mahuli, but failed, thanks to an alert Manohardas Gaud, who was the in charge of the fort. A thousand Marathas were killed. Manohardas Gaud, soon gave up his position and Alveerdi Beg took over. On 16 June 1670, after two months, Moropant Pingle conquered the forts and Mahuli, Bhandargad and Palasgad became part of Swarajya. Till 1817, Shivaji’s dynasty owned the fort but later on it was controlled by the British Raj.

Come the rains, Malshej Ghat, just three hours away from Mumbai offers a sublime experience to savour the beauty of the monsoon magic.
Everyone should visit Malshej in the monsoons atleast once – but not on a weekend when it is full of drunken louts misbehaving and littering the place with their broken bottles. Having said that,if you visit mid-monsoons mid week, it is paradise on earth.Post monsoons, go for the wildflowers and butterflies. From Dec to March go for the birds. But monsoon reveals the true glory of the region.

Mumbai to Malshej Ghat (Distance : 140 Kms):

Take Eastern Express Highway upto Bhiwandi and then state highway road to Malshej ghat (Mumbai – Bhiwandi – Kalyan – Saralgoan- Malshej Ghat)

Fun at Malshej Ghat

There are many trails that are ideal for a long walk in the rains. There are plenty of awe-inspiring sights of mountains and valleys as you walk. Sometimes, the dense fog means you cannot enjoy the views. Instead, you can enjoy the walk in the mist. If you do not want to follow any of the offbeat trail, walk on the road itself. The Malshej Ghat road in itself offers excellent views of waterfalls. However, it gets too crowded on Sundays.
It rains heavily in Malshej Ghat and the fun is actually in getting drenched and soaking oneself in one of the waterfalls. There’s nothing better than these simple pleasures of life. There are millions of waterfalls and finding the one that is right for you at Malshej Ghat should not be too difficult.

Malshej offers a unique phenomenon – the mountains are so aligned that the wind speed is very high. Owing to this, there are plenty of places where water rises upwards instead of falling down as a waterfall. Locals will tell you that when the velocity of the wind is too high, 50 ft of natural water sprays are formed.

The most famous guests of Malshej Ghat are the Flamingos. Myriads of pink-legged European flamingos arrive during the monsoon and breed in the waters of the Pimpalgaon-Joga Dam. It is just 4 kms away from Flamingo Hill and worth the visit to watch the mating dance of these birds. Apart from flamingos, many species including the Alpine Swift, Purple Moorhen, Pitta, Quail, Whistling Thrush, Green Pigeon, Pied Crested Cuckoo can be sighted in and around Malshej Ghat.

For those into trekking, Harishchandragad offers an excellent climb. To start the trek, reach Khubi village at a distance of 7 Kms from Malshej Ghat. It is advisable to hire services of a local guide. Peak monsoons may not be the best time for the trek. It is generally more enjoyable during winters.

Get on and get moving to Malshej Ghat and enjoy the next rains.